Billericay Town vs Dulwich Hamlet – Match Preview
Isthmian
Premier League – New Lodge, 18th January 2025, 3pm
Billericay Town
welcome old rivals Dulwich Hamlet to Essex on Saturday afternoon, with both
sides looking to bounce back from disappointment in their last league outings.
While both teams were widely tipped to compete for the title this campaign, their
seasons have taken dramatically different paths. The Blues sit just one point
behind league leaders Dover Athletic, firmly in the title race, while Hamlet
find themselves just five points above the drop zone, hoping new manager
Bradley Quinton can turn their fortunes around.
Billericay
Town
Heading into
tomorrow’s clash, Billericay sit 2nd on an impressive 51 points and have
been the team to beat in the division this season. Their nine-game unbeaten run
ended with a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Horsham last weekend, but the Blues
boast the league’s only unbeaten home record, with all three league defeats
occurring away from New Lodge.
The Blues
bounced back from Saturday’s defeat with a narrow 1-0 win over Sheppey United in
the Velocity Cup on Tuesday, thanks to Decarrey Sheriff’s 22nd-minute
goal, as manager Gary McCann made six changes from the side that lost at Horsham
three days earlier. Boasting the best defensive record in the division with
just 21 goals conceded in 26 games, ‘Ricay remain firmly in the hunt for promotion,
and goals are coming from all over the park. 20 different players have notched for
Billericay this term, with Ashley Nzala (8) and Moses Emmanuel (7) leading the
goalscoring charts for McCann’s side.
Dulwich
Hamlet
In stark
contrast, Dulwich are battling at the opposite end of the table, sitting 15th
and just five points above the drop zone. Since the reverse fixture at Champion
Hill on October 19th, Hamlet have struggled, recording just three
league wins and rolling into New Lodge on a dismal run of one win in 11 games. Their
last match, two Saturday’s ago, proved to be Hakan Heyrettin’s last, as they
fell to a 3-4 home defeat to bottom-side Bognor Regis Town, despite leading 3-1
with 25 minutes remaining and playing against 10 men for 70+ minutes.
While their
attack, spearheaded by Luke Wanadio (19 goals), can cause anyone issues, their
away record has been dire – just one win (Canvey) and 25 goals conceded on the
road this term. The recent arrival of new manager Bradley Quinton, announced
late on Thursday night, adds an element of the unknown to this clash, though he’s
had just one session to influence a squad managed by senior players Danny Mills
and Mark Marshall since Heyrettin’s departure. With a new era just beginning,
Hamlet will hope Quinton’s appointment sparks a swift turnaround for an
underachieving side.
Head-to-Head
The Blues have
enjoyed success in recent meetings with their south-London rivals, most
recently recording a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture at Champion Hill on
October, courtesy of a Tom Bender header late in the first half.
Billericay have
won the last seven outings between the two sides, scoring 13 goals, and
conceding just twice in that time. Dulwich’s last victory in this fixture came
in March 2018, when they secured a vital 3-1 victory at New Lodge during a
season that saw Billericay pip Hamlet to the league title by four points,
although Dulwich beat McCann’s Hendon side in the playoff final to join ‘Ricay
in the National League South.
Familiar
Faces
This fixture
carries added intrigue with plenty of players having represented both sides.
For Hamlet,
striker Deon Moore made his second debut for the club last weekend, having
previously made five appearances for the Blues under Jamie O’Hara during the 2019/20
season. Midfielder Sean Bonnett-Johnson, who has been with Hamlet since
the start of last season, also spent time at Billericay under Craig Edwards
during 2010/11 and 2013/14. Full-back Louis Ramsay, currently sidelined
due to a fractured ankle, made 56 appearances for Billericay across three
spells before joining Dulwich at the start of this season.
Dulwich midfielder
Kresh Krasniqi will also be familiar to home fans, after enjoying two
spells with the Blues in 2016/17 and 2021/22, and has since established himself
as a regular at Champion Hill, making 71 appearances across the last three
seasons. Star man Luke Wanadio, currently in his third spell with Hamlet,
had a brief stint at Billericay during the interrupted 2020/21 campaign and has
since netted 42 goals for Dulwich since the beginning of last season.
Winger Anthony
Jeffrey, who featured 54 times for ‘Ricay, scoring four goals in 2022 and
2023, has been a regular for Dulwich since the start of last season, with 51 appearances
to his name. The most familiar name to the two fanbases will be defender Michael
Chambers, now in his third spell at Dulwich. The centre-back won Billericay’s
Player of the Season in 2021/22, and the former Blues captain made 112
appearances across his four-season stay at New Lodge.
On the
Billericay side, two players have ties to Dulwich. Top scorer Ashley Nzala had
a brief spell with Hamlet in 2022/23, while winger Decarrey Sheriff
spent time on loan in south London during the 2018/19 campaign.
Current Blues manager
Gary McCann also turned out in goal for Hamlet during the 1996/97
campaign!
Team News
& Predicted Line-up
Billericay
Town
The hosts will
be without Tyrell Miller-Rodney, who serves the final game of his
suspension following his sending off at Hashtag United on New Year's Day. Montel
McKenzie is sidelined with an ankle injury sustained in the same match, while
Aron Pollock is likely to miss out after injuring his ankle during the
warm-up on Tuesday night. Winger Richard Asamoah recently returned from a
loan spell at Waltham Abbey but remains out with a knee injury.
On a brighter note,
Jack Paxman made his first start in over two months on Tuesday night,
completing 45 minutes as he continues his recovery from a metatarsal injury.
Teenage striker Bobby Kelman also returned after a month on the sidelines,
while Todd Miller got 80 minutes under his belt after struggling with a
groin problem. With the exception of these absentees, the Blues are expected to
have the rest of the squad available.
McCann will make
changes to the side that beat Sheppey, after resting several key players on
Tuesday night.
Predicted
XI (4-2-3-1): Donkin; Panton, Davis, Johnson, Porter; Steward, Paxman; Nzala,
Merrifield, Akinwande; Emmanuel
Dulwich
Hamlet
The visitors,
meanwhile, will be without centre-back Sam German, attacking midfielder George
Porter, and full-back Louis Ramsay, all of whom remain out with
injury. Additionally, goalkeeper Jameson Horlick and striker Oli
Lynch returned to parent club Luton Town last week. However, with two weeks since their
last match, the rest of the Hamlet squad are expected to be available for Quinton’s
first match in charge.
The Hamlet
lineup is tricky to predict with a new manager at the helm, but a reliance on experience
wouldn’t be a surprise.
Predicted XI
(4-3-3): Barnes; R. Marshall, Binnom-Williams, Chambers, Hudson; Wynter, M.
Marshall, Scott; Wanadio, Mills, Jeffrey
Verdict
The Blues enter
the match as favourites on paper, however the unpredictable nature of the Isthmian
Premier League leaves no room for complacency. While Billericay boast the best
defensive record in the league, their recent struggle for goals is noticeable,
having scored just 15 times in their last 12 games. In contrast, Dulwich’s
recent games have been high-scoring affairs, with five of their last eight
producing four or more goals.
The onus will
be on Billericay to bounce back in front of an expectant New Lodge crowd, while
Hamlet players will be eager to impress their new man in charge. Dulwich have
only scored two fewer league goals than the Blues this season, but their leaky defence
- one of the worst in the division - could prove to be their undoing against a resolute Billericay side.
Prediction: Billericay Town 2-0 Dulwich Hamlet
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